CHOCOLATE BUTTERNUT BLISS (or pumpkin) SMOOTHIE

This is one of my favourite fall smoothies.  It’s like drinking a creamy & dreamy chocolate milkshake — yet it’s free of refined sugar and absolutely loaded with veggies (well squash is technically a fruit, but it acts like a veggie!), fibre, healthy fats, plant-based protein, and adaptogens, too!

Butternut squash is incredibly nutrient-dense.  It’s rich in vitamins & minerals such as vitamins A & C, potassium, and magnesium, as well as fibre and anti-inflammatory, disease-fighting antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin.

It is believed that squash consumption may help to boost the immune system; improve bone, eye and heart health; and even reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain cancers.

For one serving, blend together until smooth:

• 1 cup unsweetened cashew, almond, or nut-free milk (I like to use my Almond Cow to make homemade plant-based milk)

• 1 cup steamed-then-frozen butternut squash

• 1/2 to 1 cup frozen papaya or frozen cauliflower rice

• 1 scoop Nuzest Clean Lean Rich Chocolate protein (or chocolate protein powder of choice)

• 1 Tbsp cashew butter (or substitute sunflower seed butter or tahini for nut-free)

• 1 tsp Plant Burst or Organika maca powder (optional)

• 1/2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon

• Lakanto sugar-free monk fruit sweetener, pure stevia, or sweetener of choice, adjusted to taste (optional)

• optional toppings: warm cashew butter, Giddy Yoyo raw cacao nibs, or toppings of choice

Pumpkin Pie Version

To make a pumpkin spice version, use 1 cup (4 to 5 standard ice cubes) frozen pumpkin purée and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of the squash and cinnamon.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie topped with grain-free granola, diced Giddy Yoyo 79% cacao with chaga chocolate bar, and cashew butter melted with a touch of coconut oil.